Reflections
Greed can make people slaves to their possessions
Readings Between the Lines Father Glenn LeCompte
“The point is, ladies and gentleman, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right, greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA. Thank you very much” (the character, Gordon Gekko, in the movie Wall Street). Those words stand in stark contrast to the teaching of Jesus, who in Luke 12:15 exhorts his audience, “Take care to guard against all greed,” then spins a parable about a foolish person who fails to do so and suffers the consequences of his avaricious choice (12:16-21). Last month, I pointed out that the rich fool in Jesus’ parable chose temporal goods over lasting spiritual ones, became desensitized to the needs of the poor (thereby rejecting almsgiving, a standard of Jewish piety) and, because of his folly, ended up not even being able to enjoy the material comforts he sought for his life due to his untimely death. I also suggested that, among the seven Capital Sins listed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 1866, greed, especially in U.S. society, is the most ignored, and yet its perpetuation has wreaked havoc on our society. Brad Bannon in an op. ed. piece for the online news publication, The Hill, in February of this year writes, “Last year was the best of times for corporate America and the worst of times for hard-working American families. New reports on corporate profits and inflation demonstrate the fundamental problems in the U.S. economy. Big business reaped big profits while hard-working Americans wept over their declining standard of living.” The corporations which are
seeking “cushy” profits at the expense of ordinary people (gasoline prices!) are not unlike the rich fool in Jesus’ parable. Moreover, the tendency toward oligopoly (control of the market by a few large firms which eat up the smaller ones) impairs competition and leaves us with increasing prices. The words of the U.S. Bishops Conference in its 1986 pastoral letter Economic Justice for All still apply: “Americans are challenged today as never before to develop the inner freedom to resist the temptation constantly to seek more. Only in this way will the nation avoid what (Pope) Paul VI called ‘the most evident form of moral underdevelopment,’ namely greed.” Additionally, Pope Francis, during a meal he shared with homeless people, pointed out that greed is widening the gap between rich and poor and further impoverishing the latter. The damage done by greed runs much deeper, though, than the suffering of financial hardships. Recall again the “rich fool” in Jesus’ parable. His greed causes him to turn in on himself, away from God and other human beings.
14 • Bayou Catholic • Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux • August 2022
Ultimately it makes people slaves to their possessions, because there are never enough of them. Avarice impairs a person’s ability to love, because greedy people will often, for the sake of maintaining possessions, or not forsaking an increase in them, fail to consider how their actions adversely affect others. The greedy develop a defense against any healthy remorse over such actions, because the prime value in life becomes an obsession with material things. The occasion for Jesus’ telling of the parable of The Rich Fool is an inheritance dispute between a person and his or her siblings which Jesus refuses to arbitrate (Luke 12:13). We see similar disputes tearing apart the survivors of families today. Saints Thomas Aquinas, Jean Vianney and Francis of Assisi all bear testimony to the danger of greed to corrupt people. In Summa Theologiae II-II, A. 118, St. Thomas explains that in everything what is “good” is apportioned to a certain measure. Too much or too little can constitute a vice. The appropriate measure for material possessions is what is necessary for life. Thus, to exceed this measure
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